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Ahmadinejad's messianic connections

The Iranian leader's mentor thinks war would hasten the Mahdi's return. Fortunately he and his allies have no nuclear access

• 
• • Meir Javedanfar
  • guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 6 May 2009 20.30 BST
  • Article history

The Comoros islands in the Indian Ocean are described by the Lonely Planet Guide as "mysterious, outrageous and enchanting ... the kind of place you go to just drop off the planet for a while".

As well as their remote location, another characteristic that sets the islands apart from other countries in the region and from fellow Muslim countries is that their president, Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi, studied in the holy city of Qom in Iran. According to the Tehran-based Tabnak news agency, while Sambi was there he studied under Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi who believes, among other things, believes that a great war would hasten the return of the 12th Shia Imam called the Mahdi. Sambi's stint in Iran earned him the nickname "The Ayatollah of Comoros".

Mesbah Yazdi's other famous student is Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. This is one of the reasons why the Iranian president is going to extraordinary lengths to court the president of Comoros. After Sambi's rise to power in 2006, Iran started investing in the Comoros economy – a decision that some in Iran see as unjustified political aid. A recent example that raised the ire of Iran's press was his dispatching of a private Falcon jet to the island to bring Sambi to Iran for a visit last June. Apparently Sambi's own jet was not fit for the job.

One reason for Ahmadinejad's outreach is that he desperately wants to show that during his presidential term, Iran's influence in the Islamic world increased. So much so that not only Sunnis but also former students of Iran's religious institutions who now head governments can be counted among Iran's friends. He is also trying to win favours with Mesbah Yazdi, as other clergy seem to be turning their back on him. A recent sign was the decision by the Society of Combatant Clergy not to to support any candidate until all presidential candidates had been vetted by the Guardian Council. This powerful society has usually supported rightwing conservative candidates and many thought its support for Ahmadinejad as the candidate to stand against the reformists was certain. However, Ahmadinejad's unpopularity has persuaded some of them to withhold their vote to see if a more viable conservative candidate will emerge.

Another heavy blow came last week from the wife of Mohammad Ali Rajai, Iran's second president who was assassinated in 1981. During the 2005 elections, Ahmadinejad prided himself on being a follower of Rajai's dedication to the revolution, and his seemingly simple and incorruptible lifestyle. So much so that one of the most popular slogans shouted in pro-Ahmadinejad rallies is "Greetings to Prophet Muhammad, the scent of Rajai has arrived". Furthermore, one of the most pro-Ahmadinejad news agencies in Iran is called Raja News. In the 2005 elections, Rajai's wife supported Ahmadinejad but this year, in an amazing turnaround, she declared her support for his rival, the reformistMir Hossein Mousavi. For many of Ahmadinejad's supporters, this was a slap in the face.

However, Mesbah Yazdi is different. He is an ultra-conservative cleric who is considered too rightwing, even among the conservative clergy, and this has made him somewhat isolated among them. This is why none of his supporters managed to get elected in the Assembly of Experts elections of 2006.

Ahmadinejad is Mesbah Yazdi's best hope for political influence. Ahmadinejad also needs him. Mesbah Yazdi's support was crucial for Ahmadinejad during the 2005 election campaign – among other things, he issued a fatwa that called on his supporters to vote for Ahmadinejad. His wife went as far as selling her own jewellery to help Ahmadinejad's election campaign. This was an important symbolic gesture, which was not lost on Ahmadinejad's friends, and foes.

There are also Mesbah Yazdi's other allies, who have steadfastly stood by Ahmadinejad. One is Mojtaba Samareh Hashemi. After Khamenei, this man has the most direct influence on the president. A dedicated student of Mesbah Yazdi, Samareh studied with Ahmadinejad at the University of Science and Technology in the late 1970s. Later on, thanks to their friendship, Ahmadinejad received his first official job, as the mayor of Maku and Khoy, near the border with Turkey. Samareh's connections with the people's militia (Baseej) enabled Ahmadinejad to establish relations with them and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. This helped Ahmadinejad later, as both forces were instrumental in campaigning for his 2005 election success.

Ahmadinejad's other messianic colleague is Saeed Jalili, secretary general of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC). He too worked with Samareh in the Iranian foreign ministry. After the resignation of Ali Larijani from the role, he took on the important job of negotiating with the EU representative Javier Solana over the Iranian nuclear programme. During their first meeting, which many described as a one and half hour monologue by Jalili, he apparently told Solana: "'Everything in the past is past, and with me, you start over." This was very frustrating for Solana who had spent more than a year and a half negotiating with Larijani.

Ahmadinejad's messianic beliefs, and his increasing reliance on Mesbah Yazdi, should be a source of concern to those inside Iran and outside. However, such concern must be accompanied by reality.

First and foremost, Mesbah Yazdi's view that a great war would hasten the return of the Mahdi is shared with only a small minority. According to the Bright Future Institute in Iran, which specialises in religious issues regarding the Mahdi, "No one, not even the Mahdi himself can decide upon his return. Only God decides. Meanwhile, all Muslims can do is to pray and to be good human beings." This is the view held by a majority of Iranians and is in direct contradiction to that of Mesbah Yazdi and his allies.

More important than that is the fact that this group does not have the last word over the nuclear programme. Ayatollah Khamenei does, and he is not a messianic. Nor are any of the people who are thought to be next in line to take over him.